Article arranging and advancing conveyer mechanism



w. P. SPAIN Dec. 14, 1948.

ARTICLE ARRANGING AND ADVANCING CONVEYER MECHANISM 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed April 10, 1946 INVENTOR: mzgmm 2? 5,0622%,

Dec. 14, 1948. w. P. SPAIN 9 9 ARTICLE ARRANGING AND'ADVANCING CONVEYER MECHANISM Filed April 10, 1946 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 v INVEM R. 710540772 P .fpaz/z,

Patented Dec. 14, 1948 ARTICLE ARRANGING: AnvAticiNG CONVEYER MECHANISM William. P.- Spain,

Brach. '.&. Sons,- Chicago,.

Illinois.

Villa Park, 111-; assignorto E.- J.

Ill.,.. a. corporation of- Application April' 10, 1946;"Serial No:'661,155 6 claims; (01. 198-30) This invention relates to-improvementsrinmarchines-for handling ediblemommodities;.- More particularly; it pertains .to a devicerfor handling such ediblecommodities. as; for.-- example; candy centers to: align andxadvancethem in.- orderly spaced apart rows A principalobject oi-the invention-is the provision of a device-for advancing :edible- -units-,, such as.:-cand-y centers,.- by; simultaneously arrange ingthemzin orderlytrows .andcontin-uously giving them a f orward thrust in! the direction. of l the dis charge end of, the' device.

More specifically, an object ofathe invention is. thesprovisi'on of 'adevicefor arranging ,-.and advancing a; plurality; of .candy centers, or bars, inspaced apart rows,sutilizing; a framefhavingspacedapartia-guide members longitudinally mounted therein, the-frame-.-having an inclined receiving end-for such units betweengwhich. the-guide members are-similarly inclined, and-"adischarge endtherefor, and means connected to .thereceivingv endasimultaneously toimpart a sidewise'tmovemerit and forward. thrust toalign the: candiesinY spaced apart rows between. the guide r members. and to :advance-themtoward the dischargelend of;- the' frames.

Other objects of .the invention? will inapart be obvious and. will-impartappear hereinaften Theinvention,accordingly comprises the, fea tures of construction, combination- .of, elements, and arrangement of parts whichlwillbe exempliffied, in. the construction;hereinafter set. forth and the scope of the application .of. .which. will. be in dicated in the. claims I v For ,a. fuller. understanding 50f the .nature and.

objectsof the invention reference should behadt'othe. following detailed.descriptionttaken. moon-.- nection witlrthe accompanying, drawings in; which;

1 is..-a side e1evational..view, partly in sec! tion and Y with. parts .broken. away,-.' illustrating .a.

preferred. embodiment ct, the.v invention rpartly underlying a vfeeding hopper;-.

Fig.2 is :a planview (if-(Fig. 1 withthehopper remove.d;.

Fig.3 isacross sectional.elevationalview of the:-

device taken. along. the line. 3-.-3. of, Fist. 1 and.

looking'in; the direction of} the. arrows toward, the

receiving end; of. the dev-ice;.t

Fl'g. 4,is. a.-VieW1 similar. .to Fig.3 taken-alongthe line 4 4 of. Fig. 1 and looking inith direction, of

the. arrows towardthe. discharge end 10f.- the devic'eii Fig. 5. is. adia'grammati'c representation of the;

, 2.. g I multanecus1sidewiseandv thrusting. movement is imparted thereto; and

Fig, 6::isa: sectional view, with parts broken away; of an inclined portion of the receiving end r of the frame illustrating the forward. thrusting movement thereof whereby theunitsi are advented-.2

means, .preferablyeonnected to the receiving end of the -frame,.-.simultaneously and continuously to impart a, sidewise movement as wellas aiorwa'rd thrust to theiramecso that edible units, such "as candyvv centers-on bars,:. arealigned: in spaced apart rowstbetween-rthe guide members and to advance'them' toward-the adischa-rge end of the frame-.- The meansfor securing-the particular: sidewise-movementland forward. thrust may-be said to include ins addition to the frameya bed plate, l2 secured. to theunder side of the inclined guide. members QH- toprevent the units fromvpass'. ingt-qtherebetween and which therefore aid in imparting the sidewise movement and a forward thrust tothe'candycenters;

In the preferred embodiment-thereis--il1us.-= trated a structure- 13 \projectingrearwardly from the inclinedreceiving endR, andwhich is eccentricallv mountedlmedially oi the longitudinal axis otthe-frame-as indicatedat I4; The eccentric: mounting is preferably :driven by a motor. :l 5 con-*- nected-tdaVerticaLsha-ft16:1

At; the discharge endiofthe frame a supporting structure 1 1-. is. mounted in; anytsuitable manner: Connected to this supporting structure. is "one or; more hinged-members indicated-generally at 18 l 8.. While:two:arepreferredras: illustrated, itwill? be understoodw-thatmonee may be used in lieu. thereot when: disposed medially of the longit'uw dinaiz axis. of athesframe and alignment with the eccentric, mountingllr Includedamong the m'eans 'f01"0b172;i11ifig*th sidewise and thrusting movement area-plurality of upstanding-zelements'rI9; Iii-mounted on the upper surfaeesof thez'guide membersri l".

Theeillustrated; "eccentric: mounting atithe-frw ceivins endpi the-dra'rneeend the hinge-mountings? at the discharge end thereof, make it possible, in conjunction with the bed plate l2 and the upstanding members l9, to obtain the simultaneous and continuous sidewise movement and forward thrust-of the candy bars to align them in spaced apart rows between the guide members and to while the hingedly mounted discharge end per mitsjasubstantially reciprocatory action. These actions are schematically illustrated in Fig. 5. It

should be understood that the movement-of the frame, at the receiving end, transmitted by the eccentric need not necessarily be rotary. It might be elliptical or orbital and it is within the con templation of the invention to utilize either movement so long as the rapid sidewise action and forward thrust is obtained whereby the edible units are simultaneously aligned in orderly spaced apart rows'and carriedtoward the discharge end of the device in such positions. The forward thrusting movement of the candy centers is depicted in solid and dotted line positions in Fig. 6. i

In conjunction with the frame there is utilized a conventional conveyor belt 20 disposed beneath the same." This belt may be separately driven from a roller 2|, the upper flight thereof passing immediately beneath the guide members I I arounda nose bar 22 and back over an idler roller 23. The conveyor belt 20 is only necessary where the inclined receiving end does not extend entirely to the discharge end of the frame. That is, where the bottom of the inclined frame terminates approximately midway between the frame the conveyor is necessary to pick up the aligned and spaced apart candy-pieces and continue to convey them between the unin'clined portions of the guide members and carry them beyond the discharge end of the frame.

Since certain changes may be made in the above construction and different embodiments of the invention could be made without departing from the scope thereof, it is intended that all matter contained in the above description or shown in the accompanying drawings shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

It is also to be understood that the following claims are intended to cover all of the generic and specific features of the invention-herein described, and all statements of the scope of the invention which, as a matter of language, might be said to fall therebetween.- i Y Having described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is:

1. In a device for arranging and advancing a plurality of edible units in spaced apart rows comprising a frame having a plurality of spaced apart guide members longitudinally mounted therein, said frame having an inclined receiving end for said units between which said guide members are similarly inclined and secured and a discharge end therefor, and means connected to said receiving end simultanteou'sly and continuously to impart a sidewise movement and forward trust to saidunits to align them in-spacedapart rows between'said guide members and to advance them toward the discharge end of the frame, said forward thrust being applied to said'units by said inclined end.

2. In a device'for arranging and advancing a plurality of edible units in spaced apartrows comprising a frame having a plurality of spaced apart guide. members longitudinally mounted therein,

said frame having an inclined receiving end for said units between which said guide members are similarly inclined and secured, and a discharge end therefor, and means connected to said receiving end simultaneously and continuously to impart a sidewise movement and forward thrust to said units to align them in spaced apart rows between said guide members and to advance them toward said discharge end of the frame, said frame including a bed plate secured to the under side of said inclined guide members to prevent said units from passing therebetween and to aid said means to import said sidewise movement and forward thrust to said units, said forward thrust being applied to said units by said inclined end.

3. In a device for arranging and advancing a plurality of edible units in spaced apart rows comprising an elongated frame having a plurality of spaced apart guide members longitudinally mounted therein, said frame having an inclined receiving end for said units between. which said guide members are similarly inclined and secured, and a discharge end therefor, and means simul taneously and continuously to impart a sidewise movement and forward thrust to said units to align them in spaced apart rows between said guide members and to advance them toward the discharge end of the frame, said means including a structure projecting rearwardly from said inclined receiving end and being eccentrically mounted medially of the longitudinal axis of said frame, said forward thrust being applied to said units bysaid inclined end. I v

4. In a device for arranging and advancing a plurality of edible units in spaced apart parallel rows comprising a frame having a plurality of spaced apart parallel guide members longitudinally mounted therein, said frame having an inclined receiving end for said units between which said guide members are similarly inclined and secured, and a discharge end therefor, and means connected to said receiving end simultaneously and continuously to impart a sidewise movement and forward thrust to said units to align them in spaced apart parallel rows between said guide members and to advance them toward said discharge end of the frame, said frame including a supporting structure for the discharge end thereof to which said discharge end hingedly is mounted, said forward thrust being applied to said units by said inclined end.

5. In a device for arranging and advancing a plurality of edible units in spaced apart rows comprising a frame having a plurality of spaced apart guide members longitudinally mounted therein, said frame having an inclined receiving end for said units between which said guide members are similarly inclined and secured, and a discharge end therefor, and means connected to said receiving end simultaneously and continuously to impart a sidewise movement and forward thrust to said units to align them in spaced apart rows between said guide members and to ad- Vance them toward said discharge end of the frame, said inclined guide members each including a. plurality of upstanding elements to deflect said units between said members as the same are being moved sidewise and in a forwardly thrusted direction to align. them between said guide members, said forward thrust being applied to said units by said inclined end.

6. In a device for arranging and advancing a.

being applied to said units by said inclined end.

WILLIAM P. SPAIN.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS 1 Number Name Date 1,459,367 Hawes June 19, 1923 1,755,721 Winkier et a1. Apr. 22, 1930 

